Ft. Myers, FL (03-01-13)

I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised by the Ft. Myers area.  Of course, nearby there are the “exclusive” islands, such as Marco Island and Captiva Island.

Then, on the other end of the spectrum, there is “North” Ft. Myers.  That’s where we are staying- at a really inexpensive park- just to give my fellow RVers an idea- they accept Passport America with no limitations! ( Passport America is a discount program- most parks will only let you have the 50% discount for one or two nights,and never on a weekend.)  The park is nothing to write home about, but the site is level and the laundry is about 50 feet away.  Extremely convenient!



bald eagle being chased by an osprey

     
We took a day trip out to  nearby Sanibel and Captiva Islands, where we drove through the DIng Darling Wildlife Preserve.  A wildlife preserve is different from a national park in that  the national parks try to balance wildlife needs with the wants and desires of us humans. A wildlife preserve’s purpose its to be a refuge for wildlife.  They come first, and we come a distant second.  But of course, we all win, when the wildlife is protected.

Jay “Ding” Darling, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist and cartoonist was also a conservationist who was instrumental in starting the (now ) 530 wildlife preserves in the United States. Ding also designed, in 1934,  the first Federal Duck Stamp-.  the stamp is a required purchase for hunters who wish to hunt ducks and geese.  It is also considered to be a collectible, and 98% of the proceeds go to the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

This particular refuge, like so many others, preserves habitats for migrating birds. There are 4 Flyway zones in the United States, providing safe refueling spots throughout most of the U.S for these birds.  Fact I learned: most birds migrate at night, when the air is cooler. calmer, and more  humid.



There are many beaches along the shores of these islands, but unfortunately, Red Tide is taking a toll at the moment.  The bacteria causes not only the death of many fish, but can cause respiratory issues for people walking on the beach.  Paul  and I both coughed quite a bit while on the beach and decided it wasn’t worth spending much time there. 

There  was plenty of beach parking, and we were so excited to find special parking spots, just for people like us! There was a small car parked in one of these spots next to us, and I must say, I didn’t cry too much when I saw that they got a parking ticket.  It’s so hard  to park a dually, its frustrating when someone  takes one of the few spots that will fit us.  Of course, its even worse when people park small cars in spots that are designated “RV or Bus” spots.

Of course, Florida beach towns are well known for their food and music,  and Ft.  Myers Beach is no exception.  We met up  with Eric and Karla , who are fulltimers who we first met in Michigan two years ago.  We went out to dinner with them, and their friends Priscilla and Al.

High Tide

We had a great time, great food,  and listened to some awesome music by High Tide, a  local reggae band. We enjoyed the music so much, we bought the CD!

Paul and I have been trying to stay active and found a great excuse to get some exercise.  About 4 miles from where we are staying there is a Bald Eagle’s nest. A local Real Estate Company has set up a camera 6 feet above this nest, sending continuous feed, 24 hrs a day ( Eaglecam ).  I’ve been watching the eaglets on my ipad for the last few weeks, and it was a real treat to see the nest in person.  The first day we went to see the nest, we walked the 4 miles each way.  The second time, we drove, on the way to dinner one day, and the third time, we took our bikes.  I really enjoyed being able to watch the two parents come and go, and to see the young birds poke their heads out of the nest.  The youngsters are about full grown now, although they haven’t fledged (flown for the first time) yet. They are still being brought food by the parents.


the nest is in this tree, and the dead trees were where the parents were sitting.



both parents watch over the nest from nearby



getting ready to take flight.

  

eaglet stretching his wings in the nest



preening in the nest

  



watching over the nest





something caught their attention!

   




this is a picture taken from the webcam soon after the babies hatched.



a recent picture taken from the webcam

Edison Ford Winter Estates(02-23-13)

On the west coast of Florida, Ft.Myers was the winter home  of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford.  Being a Ford retiree, they were high on Paul’s list of things to see, here in the Ft. Myers area. 

Believe it or not, all of the tree trunks in this picture belong to a single Banyan Tree. Covering almost one acre, it’s one of the largest Banyan trees in the world.  It was given to Edison by Harvey Firestone.

We started the day a little later than we should have, and could have used more time.  We elected to take the boat tour  to get a different perspective of the estate. It included lunch at the adjacent yacht club.  Apparently we were supposed to eat in one specific room, but we didn’t know that and took a seat outside.  They were nice enough to let us stay, and enjoy the view.





Anyway, Thomas Edison started visiting Ft. Myers in the 1880s, when the population was just 349.  He liked the area for not only for his ability to relax near the water and fish, but also because of the variety of plants, which he needed to conduct his botanical experiments.  He spent the last few years of his life trying to find a domestic source for rubber. Although he was technically successful in that endeavor, he never found an affordable, abundant source, and his research was discontinued a few years after his death.

After their first meeting in 1896, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison became great friends, and in 1916, Edison convinced Ford to purchase the house next door, and both families spent time here every winter, although Henry usually only stayed a few weeks and Edison spent most winters working here.

The museum was a wealth of information about Thomas Edison.  Somehow there is always too much information in most museums to take it all in, and this  one was no exception, but I did learn so many things that I became in awe of the things that Edison, as well as so many others of his time, like Harvey Firestone, and Henry Ford accomplished.

Born in 1847, in Ohio, his family soon moved to Port Huron, MI.  As a youngster, Edison did so poorly in school that his teacher thought he was “addled”, and his mother pulled him out just months after he started. From that point on, he was home schooled and self taught. He became hard of hearing very early in life, which is a little ironic, since he invented the phonograph (he also invented the first movie camera).  Later in life he would listen by biting the wood casing of the phonograph to feel the vibration. He taught his second  wife Morse code so they could communicate without her having to yell in public.  He proposed to her by tapping the words onto her hand.

By the age of 18, Edison had been working for years as a telegraph operator. He already considered himself to be an inventor, and some of his earliest inventions were improvements to the telegraph system. Although we associate Edison with the light bulb, he didn’t invent it.  What he did invent was the first commercially practical incandescent bulb. He went on to patent an electricity distribution system, to further solidify the practical use for the light bulb. As of 1890 all of his business interests had been combined to create Edison General Electric Company.  Two years later, he and one of his adversaries pooled resources in order to ensure the commercial success of electricity, and the word Edison was dropped from the company name, leaving it as General Electric Company. He soon moved on to new projects and left other inventors to work on products that would make use of this electricity.  Some of the earliest inventions included the fan, the iron, the electric coffee pot, and the sewing machine motor.

Edison was so prolific, he was awarded 1093 U.S. patents, and received at least one patent every year for over 60 years.